trillion

noun

tril·​lion ˈtri(l)-yən 

1

: a number equal to 1,000 times one billion see Table of Numbers

2

: an indeterminately large number

a trillion mosquitoes out tonight

trillion adjective

trillionth

ˈtri(l)-yən(t)th 

adjective or noun

Examples of trillion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The product exploded, generating trillions and minting a new class of crypto degenerates who were willing to take massive risks that, occasionally, resulted in millions. —Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 17 Mar. 2026

Calculating hundreds of trillions of digits creates massive temporary files, meaning the speed of the storage system can determine whether the calculation succeeds or slows to a crawl. —Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 15 Mar. 2026

LLMs are trained on trillions of text tokens — a static snapshot of the internet. —Vivek Ranadive, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026

War wastes innocent lives, trillions of dollars and time better spent on, for example, global climate change and the necessary global cooperation needed to address it. —Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from tri- + -illion (as in million)

First Known Use

1745, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for trillion

• billion
• million
• pillion
• castilian
• civilian
• cotillion
• pavilion
• postilion
• quadrillion
• reptilian
• vermilion
• vermillion

Kids Definition

trillion

noun

tril·​lion ˈtril-yən 

1

: a number equal to 1,000 times one billion see number

2

: a very large number

a trillion mosquitoes out tonight

trillion adjective

trillionth

-yən(t)th 

adjective

trillionth noun